From the late 1990s through the 2000s, Ayumi Hamasaki influenced far more than music. Her makeup, hairstyles, nails, fashion, and visual identity became reference points for countless women across Japan. Today, she continues to perform on major tours while raising two children, and her approach to beauty and physical wellness has evolved along with her life.
Born on October 2, 1978, in Fukuoka, Hamasaki made her singing debut on April 8, 1998, with the single “poker face.” Her first album, A Song for ××, became a major hit in 1999, followed by a long list of signature songs including “Boys & Girls,” “SEASONS,” “M,” “Dearest,” and “Voyage.” From 2001 through 2003, she won the Japan Record Award three years in a row.
Her large-eye makeup, light hair colors, curled hairstyles, nail art, denim, sunglasses, and other visual signatures had a major impact on beauty and fashion trends at the time. Yet the beauty and wellness habits she talks about today are surprisingly grounded: daily movement, hydration, Pilates, sauna sessions, and time-saving beauty habits shaped by motherhood.
She announced the birth of her first child at the end of 2019 and her second child in 2021. Since becoming a mother, the way she uses her beauty time has changed, with more emphasis on fitting self-care around daily life with her children.
She also loves Pilates enough to have created a dedicated studio at home, while her garden includes a large sauna and cold bath. Daily training, hydration, and strength work have become part of the routines she continues to maintain.
From one of the defining beauty and fashion icons of the Heisei era to a mother of two who still tours nationwide, Ayumi Hamasaki’s beauty and wellness story is shaped by both consistency and adaptation.
💡 She did not imagine such a long career at the beginning
When she marked her 25th debut anniversary in 2023, Hamasaki reflected that she had not originally pictured herself continuing for decades. She has said that gratitude toward the people who supported her, and the desire to make fans happy, became important reasons for continuing.
Ayumi Hamasaki’s Skincare: How Motherhood Changed Her Beauty Routine
Ayumi Hamasaki has been seen as a beauty icon for many years, but she has also described her own skin as delicate.
At a beauty event in 2023, she explained that after becoming a mother, it became much harder to spend long periods of time on her own skincare.
Bath time with her children is followed by helping them get dressed, drying their hair, and getting them ready for bed. As a result, her own beauty routine shifted toward care that can be incorporated into shorter windows of time.
One example she found appealing was using a face mask during bath time. Her comments were made in connection with a beauty product she was promoting as a brand ambassador, but the appeal was rooted in her own experience: completing part of her self-care while bathing meant she could focus on her children afterward.
She has also spoken about feeling confused by changes in her skin and overall physical condition after childbirth. During that period, taking care of her skin and hair became a way for her to reset emotionally as well as look after herself.
💡 Even a beauty icon has a very busy post-bath routine
On stage, Hamasaki is known for highly polished visuals. At home, bath time with her children is followed by clothes, hair drying, and bedtime routines. Her current time-saving beauty habits grew directly out of that everyday reality.
A beauty campaign shot with an almost makeup-free look
In 2023, she also took part in a beauty campaign that highlighted a much more natural look, appearing in an almost makeup-free state during filming.
Because she has long been associated with glamorous stage makeup, the decision to emphasize a more natural complexion became an interesting contrast in her beauty story.
For professional shoots and performances, she works with beauty specialists, while the habits she personally highlighted in everyday life were much simpler: daily movement and drinking plenty of water.
Daily Pilates and Strength Training: The Routine Behind Her Stage Life
Exercise is one of the most clearly documented parts of Ayumi Hamasaki’s wellness routine.
In 2023, she said that one of the habits she personally keeps up is doing at least a little exercise every day.
Pilates is a particular favorite. She enjoys it enough to have created a dedicated Pilates studio at home, complete with equipment.
According to Hamasaki, she trains there every morning. The space is also used for rehearsal and preparation related to her live performances.
💡 She loves Pilates enough to have a dedicated studio at home
Rather than simply attending classes, Hamasaki built a home environment where she can train every morning. It reflects how closely everyday body care and stage preparation are connected in her life.
In late 2025, she again talked about strength training when asked about what she does for her health, joking that she works out whenever she has free time.
Her concerts involve much more than singing, with dance, movement, costume changes, and large-scale staging. Pilates and strength training have become regular habits that connect her everyday routine with the physical demands of performing.
In 2026, she continued touring Japan with the 35-show ayumi hamasaki JAPAN TOUR 2026 -Scapegoat-, showing how closely her long-term career and physical preparation continue to intersect.
A Large Home Sauna and Cold Bath: Her Personal Self-Care Space
One of the most memorable details in Hamasaki’s self-care routine is the sauna at her home.
After becoming interested in sauna culture, she had a full-scale sauna and cold bath installed in her garden.
In a 2023 interview, she described the setup as large enough for more than ten people. When she has enough time, she sometimes enjoys three to four rounds alternating between the sauna and cold bath.
💡 A full-scale sauna and cold bath in the garden
Alongside her Pilates studio, Hamasaki has created another space at home where she can unwind. The scale of the setup is very much in keeping with her larger-than-life public image.
People can respond differently to sauna and cold-water routines, so this is best understood as part of Hamasaki’s own self-care lifestyle rather than as a general health recommendation.
Bathing also connects closely with motherhood in her daily life. Spending bath time with her children while finding ways to incorporate her own beauty routine reflects the way she now blends self-care with family life.
Hydration, Silica Water, and Vitamin C: The Simple Habits She Keeps
Despite her glamorous beauty image, many of the habits Hamasaki personally highlights are remarkably simple.
At a beauty event in 2023, she named drinking plenty of water alongside daily exercise as one of the habits she personally keeps up.
At the time, she also said she particularly liked mineral water containing silica.
Rather than attaching broader beauty or health claims to the drink itself, it is more accurate to view this as part of the hydration style she preferred at that point in time.
💡 Her own answer was surprisingly simple: exercise and water
After years of working with beauty professionals, the habits Hamasaki herself highlighted were daily movement and hydration. It shows how much value she places on routines that can be repeated consistently.
She has also talked about vitamin C
During a television appearance in late 2025, Hamasaki mentioned vitamin C along with strength training when discussing things she was doing with health in mind.
Because she did not publicly specify a product or exact amount, it is best understood simply as something she said she was incorporating at the time.
Pilates, strength training, hydration, and vitamins all show how she combines different habits according to her lifestyle and schedule.
Hair, Makeup, and Nails: From Insecurity to Self-Expression
Hair, makeup, nails, and fashion are essential parts of Ayumi Hamasaki’s beauty story.
From the late 1990s through the early 2000s, her large-eye makeup, light-blonde hair, curls, nail art, sunglasses, denim, and animal prints became defining visual signatures.
Years later, Hamasaki explained that some of those bold visual choices were also connected to personal insecurities. Drawing attention toward strong fashion or beauty details became one of the ways she expressed herself.
As her career has progressed, that beauty mindset has evolved. In a 2024 beauty magazine feature themed around continuing to be “ayu,” she discussed how her relationship with insecurities had changed and how self-acceptance had become a stronger part of the way she sees herself.
💡 Nail art helped her feel differently about the callus from holding a microphone
In 2024, Hamasaki shared that years of holding a microphone had left a noticeable callus on her hand, something she had felt self-conscious about. She also described nail art as something that helped her feel more positive about the appearance of her hands.
She has also been involved in haircare projects
Hamasaki’s connection with haircare also goes back many years. Around her 15th debut anniversary in 2013, she took part in a salon-supervised shampoo and treatment project.
A later version also reflected her preference for a coconut-style fragrance, showing that scent and haircare were both part of the beauty world she helped shape.
These products are not presented here as confirmed everyday personal favorites, but rather as examples of how she has long been involved in beauty expression beyond music alone.
From glamorous stage makeup to natural beauty shoots, nail art, and haircare, the details have changed over time, but beauty has remained one of the ways Hamasaki communicates identity and mood.
Marriage, Family, and Life as a Mother of Two
Ayumi Hamasaki has experienced marriage and divorce and now continues her music career while raising two children.
She married in 2011 and divorced the following year. She remarried in 2014 and announced in 2016 that the couple would go their separate ways. She later announced the birth of her first child at the end of 2019 and her second child in 2021.
She keeps detailed personal information about her children private while occasionally sharing glimpses of everyday life as a mother.
💡 She returned to the stage about one month after giving birth
Hamasaki later revealed that she performed a live show around one month after the birth of her first child and only announced the birth after the concert had finished. At the time, only a very small circle of people knew, so her life as a performer and as a new mother began almost simultaneously.
When she announced the birth of her first child, she also wrote candidly about days when she felt frustrated that she could not balance work and parenting exactly as she had hoped.
Her current interest in time-saving skincare and bath-time beauty can be understood as part of the practical routines that developed through those experiences.
Days off can mean playgrounds and slides with her children
Her life as a mother can look surprisingly ordinary compared with the scale of her stage performances.
In 2023, she talked about going to parks with her children, going down slides with them, and sometimes visiting fast-food restaurants on days off.
She also described occasions when, if one of her children did not feel like going to school, she would first spend some time playing together at a park and then help them transition into the day.
💡 The pop icon on stage and the mother going down a playground slide
At home she may have a Pilates studio and a large sauna, yet on a day off she may simply be at a playground with her children. That contrast is one of the most relatable parts of her life today.
At the same time, she continues to protect time for herself through morning Pilates, strength training, hydration, and sauna sessions when her schedule allows.
When she celebrated her 25th debut anniversary in 2023, Hamasaki reflected that she would not have continued for so long for herself alone. Gratitude toward staff and fans, and the wish to give something back to the people who support her, have remained important motivations.
In 2026, she continued with the 35-show ayumi hamasaki JAPAN TOUR 2026 -Scapegoat-, headlined a-nation 2026 on October 4, and also announced COUNTDOWN LIVE 2026-2027 at Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium on December 30 and 31.
From a defining beauty and fashion icon of the Heisei era to a mother of two who still tours nationwide, Ayumi Hamasaki’s approach to beauty and wellness has continued to evolve with her age, work, and family life.
In her younger years, makeup, hair, nails, and fashion became powerful forms of self-expression. Today, self-acceptance has become an equally important part of that beauty philosophy.
She continues building small habits into everyday life and choosing beauty and body-care routines that fit the stage of life she is in. Even insecurities have become something she can reinterpret through nails, hair, makeup, and personal expression.
What supports the glamour of the stage is a collection of routines built up over time and adapted to her changing life. That flexibility is a defining part of Ayumi Hamasaki’s beauty and wellness today.
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